Muslim Soldier Convicted in Texas Attack Attempt

A federal jury found United States Army Private-First Class Naser Jason Abdo guilty, Thursday of charges relating to his confessed plot last year to bomb Fort Hood soldiers at a Killeen, Texas restaurant, shoot the survivors and become a martyr after police killed him, according to the Associated Press. Abdo was found guilty of using a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of U.S. officers or employees, and four counts of possessing a weapon in furtherance of a federal crime of violence. He faces life in prison at a sentencing hearing in July.

Abdo's conscientious objector status, based on his Muslim faith, was suspended after he was charged with possessing child pornography. He went absent without leave and was tracked to Killeen hotel where he was caught with bomb-making components and other weapons. According to recordings presented in evidence, he told his mother, “The reason is religion, mom, there is no other reason,” and shortly after his arrest, he told police he was planning to pull off an attack in the Fort Hood area "because I don't appreciate what my unit did in Afghanistan."